ICS Daily Devotions
Have a Word from God

Mark 4: 35-41(NKJV) On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side.” Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?” And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!”

We witnessed quite an intense conversation between Jesus and the disciples in the latter part of the passage. The disciples accused Jesus for not being caring enough or passive in the midst of danger. Jesus turned around and questioned them about their faith after taking control of the situation. There might be several occasions in our lives where we feel like yelling out what the disciples said “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” Jesus would have been accused as an unjust God if He hadn’t told them specifically that they are to cross over to the other side of the lake. He did tell them about it. Therefore, Jesus did have some expectation towards His disciples after He has spoken to them. He expected them to have faith in His word which is “let us cross over to the other side”. Honestly, Jesus has the same kind of expectation on us but the challenge is that many people have not really taken time to listen to His instruction, specifically regarding the will for their lives. Thus, we cannot blame God on certain matters if He has not been the one who have instructed us to do it!

Life is a journey. It is a long journey till we meet Jesus face to face. There are certain things that we will never know nor understand until we have the opportunity to ask Him personally.  However, we should learn to ensure that we are walking by faith in God and the word that He has given us.

It is vital to have a word from God. It was good that the disciples followed Jesus’ instruction to cross over to the other side. The disciples were not wandering around carrying out their own agenda after they had agreed to follow Jesus. They were followers of Jesus. Just as Jesus was doing the will of the Father, the disciples were acting out the instructions of Jesus.

We often have a tendency to be carrying out our own agenda in life and expect God to bless it and bail us out if needed. We expect and demand that God bless the project or business. People are disappointed that God didn’t bless their plan. God is not obliged to bless our plan when He was not even consulted about. We are in no position to dictate God to do things for us or even bless our plans. It is a man’s good idea! It could be a good idea to start a business, migrate, have a joint venture, purchase a franchise, open up a shop front etc. Is it a Good idea and God’s idea? He is the Lord of our lives.  It’s so important for us to pursue, articulate, plan and execute God’s idea and dream. It is good to obtain God’s endorsement before we rush out to execute our own things.

Not every idea is God’s idea, therefore it’s important to consecrate our plan, idea and dream to Him. Get a confirmation through Book, Chapter and Verse, including a witness of the Holy Spirit with godly counsel. If we are confident it is God’s idea, God will pay and bless it! If it is our idea without consecration, we will need to fund it ourselves! Once God has given us the idea, we own the idea and know how the final product will look like. We are impregnated with it.

How do we know whether it is the will of God? Jesus has taught us in the Lord’s prayer regarding the Heavenly Father’s will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. There is a heavenly plan for each and every one of our lives. He is the master craft man who have created each of us in a unique manner with different talents and gifts. He has allowed us to be developed very differently for a purpose. His plan with us is good and worth following!

Sermon Series: A Firm Footing